Secrets
by Akirafanatic
Summary: Sequel to 6th Sense
1. Chapter 1

**So, yeah, this is getting up a lot later than I thought it would, but here's the start of the second 'arc' or whatever you want to call it. I owe Meridiangrimm a HUGE thank you because she helped me figure out what to do with this story.**

 **Now, I will say now that this will focus mainly on what happened to Shinichi in middle school as opposed to the whole 'ghost' thing. I'm still not sure if I will have the whole ghost thing in here or if I'll make another story or if I'll just forego actually writing them finding out. I'm not sure yet. I need to get through this story first.**

 **Also, expect slow updates. I know what I want to do now, but the actual writing it is going very slowly. So I'm not sure when I'll get more chapters written and up.**

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There were times when Saguru wished he wasn't a detective, or at least not as curious. Sadly, it was part of his nature to ask questions and find the truth no matter what. He prided himself on his ability to piece together the truth even with limited amount of information available. The blond would admit that he did have a tendency to jump to conclusions and stick with them, but after a few hits to his pride thanks to a certain magician and a few nudges from a certain author, he'd been getting better at looking from things from all angles.

Therein lied his current problem. A blue eyed, sharp tongued teenager by the name of Kudo Shinichi. It didn't matter what angle he looked at his friend from, or how many slivers on information he managed to gleam from others about him. Shinichi didn't make sense. It was almost as though the more he learned, the _less_ the younger teen made sense.

Saguru knew Shinichi believed he was cursed, but not _why_ , or when it started, or even what the supposed curse _was_.

He knew Shinichi wore fake glasses even though he had decent eyesight, but still claimed to need them. He didn't know why, or how long he'd been wearing them, or what the fake glasses provided him that he apparently required. It was the same with the ear plugs he wore.

He knew the blue eyed teen disliked his skin being touched, but was more tolerant to it when there was a barrier of clothing between him and the other person. The blond had searched and even confronted his father, but the elder Hakuba had assured him that his friend hadn't been abused, physically or sexually, in the past that would warrant such a dislike of touch.

He knew there had been some event between elementary and junior high, and that it had been bad enough that Shinichi had attempted to kill himself at _least_ twice – though from Ran's comment about how he'd been in and out of the hospital his entire freshman year of junior high had him thinking that the actual number was worryingly higher.

Yet no matter where he looked, there was no record of what had happened. No record of any incidents happening during that time period that involved the younger teen or his family. He had a feeling that was due to the combined influence of the teens' parents and the cooperation of the police department. And that brought up even _more_ questions.

What had happened? Why was it being kept such a secret? Why were there no records? Who all knew about it? Did it involve a large organization? Was Shinichi's safety threatened if word got out about what happened? Were all the Kudo's at risk?

He also knew that the blue eyed teen believed in ghosts, yet had no idea where that belief came from or why he was so confident they were real. He'd originally thought it had to do with the incident that had happened, but if it had been connected to his belief that he was cursed, then he would have started believing a long time before the start of junior high. Which meant there had been some event early on in his life to make him believe.

Saguru knew that he should leave it alone, but it was frustrating to know so much and yet so little about someone. Shinichi was a mystery, and the blond couldn't help but want to find the truth. He'd finally relented and tried to dig up as much information possible on the Kudo family, but other than a multitude of information on his famous parents, he had only found one small article about Shinichi, and that had been more about the fact two such famous people had a child then the actual child.

He'd even used his father's login to search police records, and the only thing that turned up was the kidnapping case gone wrong that Ran had told them about. Apparently Shinichi had witnessed his bully being abducted and reported it to the police, but that was all. No other cases mentioned him. There wasn't even a record of his attempted arrest that the Kudo couple had recounted during their vacation in Okinawa.

Unfortunately, Saguru didn't have the skills necessary to access his younger friends' medical history. He was sure he'd be able to find _something_ if he could get his hands on those documents, but knew that it would be next to impossible. And his father had made it clear he wouldn't tell his son anything.

It was frustrating. Heiji had already gone off about it to him and Kaito a few weeks ago after his own search turned up nothing. Their magician friend had shaken his head and told them to drop it, but they were detectives down to the core. When a mystery popped up, it was their job to solve it.

And Shinichi was definitely a mystery. If the blond were honest, he'd say the blue eyed teen was the biggest mystery he'd even attempted to solve. He and the Osakan had gotten to the point where they _couldn't_ stop looking. They were too involved.

They had known Shinichi for a little under a year now, and were no closer to the truth now than they had been all those months ago.

Sighing, Saguru glanced over to his bookshelf, where all of Shinichi's books he'd written were neatly in a row at the top. The blond had read every single one, and had cried at the end of each. He knew Kaito and Heiji had as well, though the dark skinned teenager would never admit to having cried – it wasn't very believable lie when his eyes were still red.

When the latest book had come out, he'd questioned the younger teen on why he only wrote such tearjerkers.

 _Shinichi huddled down further into his coat, burying his lower face into the scarf wound around his neck. It was one of the colder winter days, and they were forecasting snow later in the evening. The blue eyed teen had gazed at the sky as he responded softly, "All of them are true, but not all of them are mine."_

And that was all he'd say on the subject no matter how hard they had pressed. Saguru didn't know if that meant others were giving him the ideas, or they were based on actual people, or if something else was going on. Did that mean more than one of the books contained glimpses of the truth he was looking for?

The blond frowned and leaned back in his desk chair. He'd said they were all true. If that was so, where was he getting the stories from? He supposed it wouldn't be a far stretch if he'd gotten at least one of the stories from his time in the hospital – there were a number of patients who would happily talk your ear off if you let them, especially some of the elder ones.

Shifting his gaze back to the books, his eyes lingered on one of the earlier ones. It was the third book Shinichi had written, and different from all his other works. Every other book he'd written, while tearjerkers, had made you feel good at the end. That one though, had given Saguru chills while reading it and left him feeling cold. It wasn't horror, but was terrifying in its own right. He couldn't even begin to guess what had been going on in Shinichi's mind when he'd written it, but he was _sure_ that it was related to the year he'd tried to kill himself.

That was probably the book the blue eyed teen had been talking about when he'd hinted that some of the books were _his_. It wasn't the first time he'd thought this, but even after he'd read it a second time, he still hadn't gotten any more clues. And no matter how many times he went through the other books, he couldn't find anything that could potentially be what he was looking for.

Every adult who knew refused to tell them, Ran didn't know, and they weren't about to ask Shinichi and dredge up memories from an event so traumatic he'd attempted suicide multiple times. Unfortunately, Saguru had hit a dead end. There was _nothing_. And since all the adults were so tight lipped, Shinichi was their only bet at finding out what had happened.

So now the blond had to ask himself – was knowing the truth worth putting his friend through the pain of reliving the event? Could he live with himself if his desire for solving the mystery that was Kudo Shinichi ripped apart the current happiness the blue eyed teen had slowly been gaining over the past few months?

Would he be able to take the chance of sending the younger teen into another spiral of depression just to learn what had happened?

Saguru swallowed and picked up his hesitated slightly before typing out, _'I need to ask you something.'_ Glancing once more at the line of books, he hit send.

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 **So let me know what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Short chapter, but I'm still trying to get over my writers block. -_-**

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"You sure 'bout this?" Heiji asked. "It's not like we can take it back later if we change our minds."

"I know," Saguru answered. "But this is the way it should be."

The Osakan nodded and fell silent as the two continued to wait. They watched the children playing as the parents talked and gossiped amongst themselves, women giggling with their heads together and men laughing as they talked. It was a beautiful day outside and the park was filled with families and couples enjoying the weather.

The blond checked his watch for the fifth time in the past two minutes – a nervous habit. He still wasn't completely happy with his decision, but know it had to be this way. He'd roped Aoko into keeping Kaito busy, knowing the magician wouldn't approve.

The dark skinned teenager nudged his friend and rival, nodding with his head. Saguru followed the direction of the nod and saw Shinichi making his way towards them, skirting around the other people. The blue eyed teen got a few odd looks at his clothing choice, but the blond knew by now that while the long pants and light gray jacket looked hot, the material was light. This kept the teen from overheating, though the half brit was sure Shinichi also had a higher tolerance to heat than others.

When he finally reached the pair, the blue eyed teen nodded by way of greeting. "You wanted to ask me something?"

Saguru nodded. "Yes, but I think we should have this conversation somewhere a little more private. I've reserved one of the library's study rooms if that's alright with you." The younger teen nodded.

The blond and Osakan took up positions on either side of Shinichi, as had become a habit when walking outside, and began making their way towards the library.

"Any plans for university?" The dark skinned teenager asked as they walked. "Not long 'til graduation."

"Not really."

Seeing the glance, the blond stated, "I haven't decided if I'll be studying here or back in London."

The Osakan grinned. "Much as I love Osaka, I've been thinkin' I might try for a university here in Tokyo. Get away from my folks for a bit before headin' back ta join da force." He linked his fingers behind his head. "Or maybe I'll just join da force here."

"Inspector Nakamori has already stated that if I were to join the police I wouldn't be on the KID task force. I'll probably apply to the theft division though. I assume you'll be going for the homicide division?"

"Yup. Promised my folks I'd finish university first before joinin' da force, so I guess dat's first."

"I made a similar promise to Baaya. My father doesn't mind that I want to join the police force, but he wants me to at least study something besides criminology at university so I have a backup should I ever decide to quit."

They weren't far from the library, and their small talk soon tapered off as they entered the quiet space. Saguru signed in and led the way to his reserved room.

Once the three were seated in the small room, the blond took a breath and turned to Shinichi. "First, I want to apologize to you." Seeing blue eyes blink in confusion, he explained, "Hattori and I…have been digging into your past. We were trying to figure out what happened. We shouldn't have been doing so without telling you."

The younger teen shifted uncomfortably but nodded. "I figured you would."

"We shouldn't a done it even so," Heiji said. "So…sorry."

Saguru bowed his head slightly. "We've been at it for almost a year now, but we haven't figured out anything." Looking back up, he stared at the quiet male. "We wanted to apologize for trying to find out without your permission, and to let you know that we're going to stop looking into it. It's not right or fair to you. We should have respected your privacy." He sighed and continued, "Saying that, I just want to ask you one question." Shinichi frowned slightly and nodded, a little hesitant. "Why did you ask us that question about ghosts back then?"

Seeing the question had made their friend uncomfortable, the Osakan said, "Ya don't have ta tell us if ya don't want to."

Shinichi stared down at his lap for a while before slowly whispering, "I don't…I don't want to…drag you into it. I don't…want to upset you. You wouldn't…I don't…want you to leave."

Heiji stood and knelt down in front of the blue eyed teen, forcing him to look at him. "Listen ta me. Kuroba, Hakuba, and me. We're assholes. So are ya. We're _especially_ assholes to each other. We make each other mad, ya, but we're still friends. It doesn't matter what shit we get in ta. We're there ta help each other out a it. Dat's what friends do."

He paused and frowned. "Are we friends Kudo?" Shinichi gave a small nod. "Then it doesn't matter what shit ya went through, or what ya have ta deal with, or what secrets ya wanna keep. We're friends, and we aren't gonna leave ya. Pretty sure we showed dat back in Okinawa. If ya don't wanna tell us, don't. But if ya want to, don't hold back 'cause ya think we won't be friend's anymore or some other stupid shit like dat." He grinned brightly, "'Sides, yer one of da only people I know who can keep Kuroba off balance. We need ya ta keep him from gettin' a big head or too outta control."

"I'm sorry if my question made you uncomfortable," Saguru said. "I've just been thinking about that question a lot. I still can't figure out why you asked it."

Shinichi shook his head. "I…not yet. I can't…not yet."

The blond nodded. "We can wait until you're ready." Standing, he stretched and held out his hand. "Would you like to get some lunch?" The blue eyed teens' shoulders sagged in relief and he smiled slightly, taking the hand with a nod.

Saguru and Heiji were still curious, but they weren't going to push it if it made their friend upset. He was more important than the truth.

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 **Let me know what you thought!**

 **I feel like I'm getting further from having them find out the truth. Oh well, we got some more bonding. And the two detectives care more about their friend in the present than something that happened years ago.**

 **So, yeah. I know what I want for this story now (thanks to the amazing Meridiangrimm) but while I know what I want to happen I can't work up the motivation to actually, you know, _write it._ Let me know what you thought though!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've finally updated! Yay! If this chapter sounds different than the rest of them, that's because I haven't written _anything_ since I last updated this story. Good news is my writers block is _finally_ starting to go away. Bad news is that I have class and work which is making me busier than normal.**

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Saguru sighed as he checked his watch again. They'd been in the car for almost two hours now. Kaito had – thankfully – stopped trying to cause mayhem from his boredom after he almost ripped Shinichi's book. Saguru wasn't sure what the blue eyed teen had said, but Kaito had instantly quieted down and stopped his tricks. Heiji had slept through the first half of the trip, and since waking had been texting Kazuha back and forth.

While Saguru hadn't been there to witness them getting together, he had heard all about it afterwards. It had been Shinichi's twisting of words that unintentionally had the two confessing to each other. Kaito had laughed for _weeks_ afterwards, and while Heiji had been embarrassed, he'd also been relieved that he'd finally gotten his girl.

Shinichi, unsurprisingly, had been reading for the entirety of the trip. While hadn't wanted to come on this trip, he'd finally relented under the condition that he could bring as many books as he wanted. Saguru was beginning to believe his suitcase held nothing but books, given he was now starting on his fourth book.

Ran and Sonoko were talking quietly in the very back, soft giggles coming from their direction every now and then. While Saguru didn't have much experience in romance – certainly with same sex romance – he could easily tell how much the two cared for each other. The small smiles they shared, the way Sonoko happily bragged to everyone how amazing Ran was, the way Ran would carefully prepare Sonoko's favorite dessert when she was upset, the small touches and sneaked kisses when they thought nobody was paying attention, and the way the two supported each other when something upsetting happened.

It always made Saguru's heart warm at the sight of the two being so completely happy just being with each other. He had no plans to enter a relationship in the near future, however he hoped that if he found someone then they could be as happy together as the two females behind him.

"Ah!" Sonoko's voice had them all jumping slightly, as it broke the relative quiet they had been riding in for the better part of the last hour. "We're almost there!" Saguru turned to look out his window, but barely caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a large building above the large cliffs rising on either side of them as they drew higher into the mountain.

According to Sonoko, her family's new resort had finally opened two months ago, however small incidents had been happening since it opened and many guests were leaving because they believed it was haunted. The heiress had asked for his and Heiji's help to figure out what was going on before the resort went out of business or somebody got hurt.

It took another fifteen minutes before they finally pulled up to the front of the resort, two attendants waiting by the doors to help with their bags. Stepping out of the car, Saguru stretched slightly while looking around. He had to admit, the resort was beautiful. He expected no less from Sonoko's family.

"Shin-chan," Kaito's voice was amused, "We're here." Turning back to the car, he found that the blue eyed teen still hadn't moved, too absorbed into whatever book he was reading now to realize the car had stopped and everyone had gotten out. "Shin-chan~"

Sonoko heaved a sigh. "He's too far gone. He won't snap out of it until he's finished reading." Ran smiled and shook her head, reaching over to unbuckle her friend and coax him from the car.

"Come on Shin-chan." The magician put his hands on the oblivious teen's shoulders and gently pushed him towards the entrance. Saguru smiled slightly as he held the door open.

"Suzuki-Ojou-Sama!" A young woman in her late twenties to early thirties came forward and bowed. "Welcome!"

"This is Miharu Chizu-san," Sonoko introduced, "she's the manager of the resort." Turning to the woman, the heiress introduced the others before adding, "Hakuba-kun and Hattori-kun are detectives, and I asked them to come and investigate the incidents that have been happening."

Chizu bowed to the detectives. "Thank you both for coming. I've tried contacting the police about this matter, however they told me it was probably a prank and to not worry about it since nobody was getting hurt." She turned her gaze to the floor. "I'm worried that if these incidents keep happening, one of our guests or employees could wind up getting hurt."

"We'll do what we can to find out who's doing this," Saguru promised. He sighed lightly when Kaito produced a rose for the manager.

"We'll make sure none of the guests or employees are hurt Miharu-san. Please don't worry." The woman smiled and accepted the rose.

"If you'll please excuse me. One of the attendants will show you to your room." Chizu bowed once again and walked away.

Heiji grinned at the young man who arrived to show them where their rooms were. "So, what can ya tell us 'bout these incidents?"

"They're small things usually," The dark haired male answered, "Strange sounds at night, things falling when nobody is around, belongings suddenly disappearing before reappearing in different locations, and a few days ago the lights started flickering rapidly and there was this screaming telling us to leave."

Ran shivered and moved closer to Sonoko who wrapped an arm around her.

"Do you know why someone would want this place closed down?" Saguru asked.

Sonoko shook her head. "My father said there used to be a town here, but it was abandoned for years before we started construction."

"Rumor has it that everyone in that town mysteriously disappeared one day," The attendant said, stopping at the end of the hall. He smiled and shook his head. "It's probably just a prank like the police said. These are your rooms. Please enjoy your stay!"

It was quiet for a moment before Kaito suddenly clapped his hands. "Then Shin-chan and I-"

"Will not be sharing a room." The magician frowned at the blond who ignored him. "You and Hattori will share."

"Why do _I_ have ta share wit 'im?" The Osakan demanded.

"Because I'm not sharing with either of you." Saguru ignored the rest of their complaints and opened the door to the right, guiding the still absorbed teenager inside. He set his bag on the bed furthest the door and figured a quick look around the resort would be the best way to start. Seeing as Shinichi was still only halfway through his book, he wrote a short note to explain what was going on. Leaving it on the bed nearest the door next to the blue eyed teens suitcase along with the extra key, he made his way out of the room.

Kaito was not happy. Not only did he have to _behave_ for the last half of the car ride, which made it that much more boring, he also had to share a room with Heiji, who wouldn't stop texting his girlfriend. At first it had been cute how the two kept texting each other, but now it was just annoying. If the magician was being honest, he was jealous.

He was happy that his friend had finally gotten the girl he'd been crushing on, and that Ran and Sonoko were doing so well together, but it also made him lonely. They had each other, and would do anything to protect the ones they love.

When he was younger, he'd always pictured him marrying Aoko, since that's what everyone expected to happen. As they grew up though, he realized that while he cared for Aoko, it was a love akin to a sibling more than to a lover. When he'd told her that, she had laughed and said it had been obvious that they would never marry.

After that, Saguru had transferred into their class. While Kaito could admire the half Brits looks, he had never felt any sort of romantic or sexual attraction to the blond. Aoko, however, had quickly developed a crush on him. The magician supposed that was probably one reason that his pranks were more focused on Saguru than anyone else. It was annoying to Kaito that his friend hadn't even noticed the girl had a crush on him.

Pouting as he followed the others around the resort, his mind went back to Shinichi. He honestly wasn't sure what he felt for the blue eyed teen. As much as he'd teased the glasses wearing teen, he'd never felt any sexual attraction to him. He was cute – there was no denying that – and Kaito constantly wanted to hug him, but he'd never had the urge to do anything sexual with him.

He was fairly sure Shinichi wasn't attracted to him either. The magician wondered if the blue eyed teen was attracted to _anyone_. He'd never shown even the slightest interest in romance, as much as his words could make it seem otherwise.

Linking his hands behind his head, he let him eyes drift to the windows. It really was a beautiful place to build a resort. The mountain kept it tucked away from the city, and it made everything peaceful. There was also a ski lodge a few more hours up for winter time. Looking at the ground, he paused and squinted. "Shin-chan?"

The blue eyed teen was leaving the resort, his suitcase rolling behind him. Kaito's eyes widened and he took off towards the stairs. He ignored the pounding feet of the others who were following him and half ran, half jumped down the stairs in order to get to the bottom faster.

"Shin-chan!" He yelled, bursting out of the front doors. Running forward, he grasped his friend's arm and pulled the glasses wearing teen to a halt. Shinichi kept his gaze on the ground, his head turned away, so Kaito couldn't see his face. "Shin-chan, where are you going?"

"I'm leaving."

The magician blinked at the neutral tone. It sounded more like how Shinichi used to talk when they first met him. "What do you mean? The taxi is already gone. You can't-"

"I'm leaving!" Kaito was stunned and didn't react when the blue eyed teen pulled his arm away. It was the first time he'd ever heard Shinichi raise his voice above the soft tone he normally used.

"The soonest another taxi will be here is tomorrow," Saguru said gently.

Shinichi let go of his suitcase and sat on the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest and burying his face in them. His hands came up and gripped his hair, shaking ever so slightly. He was shaking his head and muttering something to himself. To Kaito, it looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

"Shin-ch-…Shinichi?" The magician knelt nearby, hand hovering over the other teen's shoulder. "What happened?"

"I want to leave." Kaito barely heard it, and saw tears forming at the corner of his friend's eyes. The indigo eyed teen nodded.

"Okay Shin-chan."

"They'll have one here early tomorrow morning," Saguru muttered softly to the magician. "The roads are too dangerous here at night, so they can't get one any earlier."

Kaito nodded and felt his gut twist. He couldn't do anything for his friend. All he could do was sit here and watch as Shinichi tried not to have a panic attack. It was the first time his magic failed to do any good. The magician was helpless, and he hated it.

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 **Okay, so I'll admit that most of Kaito's part was to try and answer the _'will there be any parings in this story'_ that everyone keeps asking about. Also because Hakuba's part was too short on it's own.**

 **We're finally advancing with the story though! Let me know what you thought!**

 **As a side note, I do have this story planned out (the first story I've _ever_ planned out) and I'm not sure if I'll reveal the whole ghost thing in this. This story is more for the reveal of what happened to make Shinichi stop wanting to be a detective. We'll see though, because maybe it'll go a whole different way than I planned.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Very short chapter, but I wanted to let you all know I'm still writing for this story!**

 **Also, special thank you to the guest who reviewed about the sleepover thing - being honest, that was the review that gave me the inspiration I'd been looking for to actually sit down and _write_ this chapter! I'd been stuck on how to write this one, so thank you very much!**

 **And thank you to everyone who has reviewed!**

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Shinichi didn't – _couldn't_ – stay there any longer. He wanted – _needed_ – to leave.

 _"This is **your** fault!"_

 _"We were fine before you showed up!"_

He didn't want to remember. He never wanted to come back to this place.

 _"Take a good look at what your so-called **truth** has done."_

If he'd known _this_ was where Sonoko's family had built the resort he never would have agreed to go.

 _"Everybody is **dead**."_

He just wanted to forget.

 _"We would have been better off never knowing the truth."_

It was as though he were back when it was still happening.

 _"I hope you're happy little **detective**."_

The screams, the smells, the whimpers, the _silence_.

 _"Our deaths are on your hands."_

Shinichi just wanted to forget.

He wanted to leave.

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Kaito sat on the edge of the bed, watching his friend worriedly. Shinichi hadn't moved an inch since he'd curled in on himself outside, and hadn't responded to anything since. They'd eventually been forced to carry him inside as it grew darker.

Ran and Heiji had gone to bring up food for everyone an hour ago, but they hadn't been able to get Shinichi to eat anything. The magician had draped the blanket over the blue eyed teen, but that didn't do anything either.

Sonoko had one arm wrapped around Ran, who was clinging to her in worry. Heiji and Saguru had been going over every inch of the room in order to try and find out what could have caused the near panic attack their friend had had. So far they hadn't found anything.

Kaito waved his hands and produced another blanket that he wrapped around himself before scooting closer to Shinichi and slowly wrapping an arm around his shoulders. When he didn't get a reaction, the magician tugged him into a hug and rested his chin on top of the black hair.

"Shin-chan…" He didn't know what to say or what to do to help his friend. He didn't even know why this had happened. Closing his eyes, he tightened his hug a little. Heiji and Saguru, who had admitted defeat at attempting to find what may have caused the near panic attack, sat on either side of Kaito. Neither said anything, but Heiji gripped Shinichi's shoulder for a few seconds and Saguru lightly tapped the blue eyed teen's back a few times, both silently reassuring him they were there.

Ran pulled away from Sonoko long enough to put a hand on her childhood friend's knee for a few moments. None of them were going to leave the panicked teen alone while he was like this.

* * *

The ride back to the Kudor manor was quiet, as neither Kaito nor Ran had anything to say and Shinichi was still not responding. He'd only uncurled when they'd gotten back to Beika, though he still remained hunched over and his hands were gripping his biceps.

When the taxi stopped in front of his house, Kaito paid the driver while Ran began pulling out their suitcases. Shinichi made a beeline for the door, as though he didn't want to stay outside any longer than necessary.

The magician helped ran with the bags and met a bewildered and concerned Yukiko in the front entryway. "What happened?"

Ran shook her head, and Kaito explained, "We don't know. We got there the other evening and Shin-chan was absorbed in one of his books, so we left him up in the room while we went to explore. Next thing we know; he was trying to leave. He almost had a panic attack when we told him the next taxi wouldn't be until this morning."

"He wouldn't talk to us and we couldn't get him to eat anything," Ran added.

The woman frowned. "You were going to Sonoko-chan's families new resort, weren't you? Wasn't it near that rafting spot?"

"No, they built another one near that ski slope you took me to back in elementary school."

Kaito had never seen anyone's face drain of color as fast as Yukiko's did. The woman offered no explination as she took off up the stairs – presumably towards Shinichi's room. Yuusaku, who had been quietly listening from behind his wife, watched her go for a moment before turning back to the two teens.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it'd be better if you two went home." Before either could open their mouth, the man continued, "Give us a few days alone with Shinichi first." He put a hand on Kaito's shoulder and squeezed slightly, "Right now, there's nothing the two of you can do."

The two teenagers were all but pushed out of the house. Watching the large door close, they looked at each other worriedly. The magician tried to smile in reassurance, but he felt it came out more of a grimace. "We should listen to them Ran-chan."

The karate champion nodded hesitantly and slowly began walking home. Kaito took one last look at the manor behind him. "Please be okay Shin-chan."

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 **Again, a very short chapter, but at least I updated! Let me know what you thought, and hopefully the next chapter will be longer!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, this is _technically_ longer than last chapter. By about 100 words give or take. I was going to make it longer, but I wanted to save the reveal for later.**

 **Anyway, there is mention of suicide in this chapter.**

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Shinichi stared at his reflection. The black cloud was back again, hanging behind him, draped over his shoulders almost like a cape. It was steadily growing darker as he stared at it, anger and frustration welling up inside him and causing his eyes to well up. Clenching his fists to hard he felt the skin on his palms break and blood beginning to spill out, the blue eyed teen slammed his right fist against the mirror.

He held it there as the glass cracked and fell to the floor in pieces. He stared at the blood now covering his fist as he listened to his mother's worried voice and the pounding of footsteps. Eyes trailing to the ground, he watched his fragmented reflections as his mother spoke to him. The onslaught of anger and frustration drained away, leaving him feeling empty.

He'd thought he was done with that place. He'd thought he'd _finally_ started to get over it. A few minutes back there, and everything he'd accomplished was washed away as he was dragged back to the hellhole he wanted nothing more than to forget about. Suddenly he was eleven again, the same black cloud hanging over his shoulders as his parents spoke words he never heard.

Every night their voices kept him awake. Every moment he closed his eyes their faces were there. He could smell nothing but the fire and burning flesh. Food made his stomach revolt, and touch had his skin crawling.

He'd given up trying to feign he was alright. After his first attempt, his parents had always seen through the lies. After his second, they'd stopped leaving him on his own. Each time he woke to the steady beeps and harsh white, his first thought was how unfair it was he was forced to live when all he wanted was to die.

He'd never seen his mother cry as much as she had during that time. He'd never seen his father cry at all, though the way his eyes were red told Shinichi he had. He never wanted to hurt his parents, and he hated making them cry. He hated the looks the adults gave him when they thought he couldn't see them. He hated the tone of their voices when they talked to him. He hated the look in their eyes as they smiled at him.

He hated that he had to deal with ghosts, when everyone else got to deal with homework. He hated that he was forced to listen to their stories, when everyone else got to listen to music. He hated how death followed him around, meeting him around every corner. He hated the way nobody could understand. He hated how he was always alone, because people feared what they didn't understand.

Shinichi hated it all. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it all to end. Watching his reflection in the fragmented pieces of glass, he wondered if he would wake up this time.

* * *

Yukiko clung to her husband's arm as they stood by their son's bed. They'd finally had to resort to sleeping pills dissolved in some water to get him to sleep. The former actress lightly dragged her shaking fingers across her son's bandaged right hand. "It's just like before Yuusaku." Her voice was barely a whisper, but in the silence of the room could have been a shout.

"No," The writer corrected, pulling his wife into his arms, "It's different this time. He has Kaito-kun, and Hattori-kun, and Hakuba-kun. We know what to do and look for this time. It's not the same."

"He needs help Yuusaku. _Professional_ help."

Wiping away her tears, the writer shook his head softly. "I know, but forcing him won't do anything. You remember what happened the last time we tried that."

Yukiko did remember. Shinichi hadn't said a word, and the more the therapist had tried to get him to open up, the more their son had closed in on himself. "We can't do _nothing_."

"We'll do what we can. If it gets too bad…we'll look into the program at the hospital." The former actress felt tears running down her face and buried her face into Yuusaku's chest.

"I don't want to lose him. There were so many close calls last time. What if…what if this time-"

"We aren't going to lose him Yukiko. I promise." The two stayed like that for a while, neither one willing to leave their son as he slept for the first time in three days. When the doorbell rang, Yuusaku kissed his wife's forehead. "I'll get it." Yukiko nodded and let go of her husband before wiping her eyes and sitting on the edge of her son's bed. Leaning down, she pressed a light kiss to his head before brushing some stray bangs out of his face.

Yuusaku smiled at the sight before making his way to the door. He wasn't very surprised to find Kaito, Heiji, and Saguru standing on his front step. "Kudo-san," The blond greeted. "I apologize for the late hour."

The magician cut in before the half brit could continue. "Is Shinichi alright?"

The writer stepped aside as he answered, allowing the three to enter. "He still hasn't said anything, but he's starting to move around the house more." He felt slightly guilty at the relieved looks on the three teenagers faces, but saw no need to cause them to worry more.

"Kudo-san," Saguru started once again as they made their way to the library, "If you don't mind, we'd like to ask you about what happened six years ago."

* * *

 **Will we _finally_ learn the truth of what happened to Shinichi? Honestly, I'm not sure myself. It could be next chapter, or it could be the one after that. Depends on how I wind up writing it. And I'm thinking I might, _might_ start looking into revealing some of his abilities to the others after the reveal. I have an idea now for how I want to do it. We'll see how the story goes.**

 **Let me know what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

**The last chapter was really short, and so is this one, so I'm just saying fuck it and posting another one today. Together they'll equal a longer chapter.**

* * *

Saguru was worried for a moment that the elder Kudo male would turn them down. He already knew that Kaito wasn't happy they were asking, and to be honest the blond was still feeling guilty about using the magician's worry over Shinichi to get him to agree to it. He knew the indigo eyed teen would get him back for it eventually.

The writer finally crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. "How about you tell me what you've figured out first."

"We tink it's got somethin' ta do wit da town dat used ta be where da Suzuki family built dat resort," Heiji started after a brief pause. Saguru had been hoping Yuusaku would give something away, but the elder Kudo male had a poker face that rivaled the elder Kuroba males.

"We heard from one of the employees that the town that used to sit where the resort is had been abandoned for years," Saguru continued, "and that there was a rumor about how all the townspeople suddenly disappeared."

"Da one behind da hauntings was da manager, Miharu Chizu. Accordin' ta her, da town was buried in a landslide. Said she had family livin' in da town and got a letter. She wanted da site ta be a memorial ground rather den a resort, so she got a job an started makin' it look like it was haunted."

Saguru really wished he could tell what the elder male was thinking. "What we found strange was that there was no evidence of a large landslide in that area. The town had also been built in an area that should have been safe from the threat of a landslide." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "With an entire town being wiped from the map, you'd naturally assume there would be a record of it. Hattori and I scoured the archives and old newspapers from the time period the supposed landslide occurred, however we turned up nothing. When asking around, nobody remembered anything about a landslide up the mountain.

"That led us to believe that the story of a landslide was a cover-up for what really happened. It appears all our parents, including Mouri-chan's, and a good number of officers know what really happened. For there to have been such a thorough cover up where not even one bit of information was leaked, whatever happened must have been deemed bad enough that it would cause some sort of panic should it be revealed."

The half brit paused as he suddenly remembered what Shinichi had told them on the flight to Okinawa. _"There are some mysteries out there, that are better off remaining mysteries."_ There was no doubt in his mind that whatever was being covered up was what the blue eyed teen had been referring to. There had been so much pain in his eyes when he'd said that.

"Whatever happened," The blond spoke slowly, thinking aloud, "Kudo-kun was part of it." _"What good is being a detective, when all you do is hurt the people you try to protect?"_ "He tried to help, probably with something related to detective work, but it turned out badly in the end."

If the entire town suddenly disappeared, and the death certificates were real, then did that mean the entire town had died? Were they killed? Or did they all have to fake their deaths for some reason? Was the cover up meant to protect Shinichi, or the people from the town? Was the reason nobody was saying anything to keep those like Saguru and Heiji who would investigate from being pulled into the danger?

"Are we putting Shinichi in danger by looking into this?" Kaito asked the question that was in the forefront of their minds. The last thing they wanted to do was put their friend in danger.

"If Shinichi is in danger from anyone," Yuusaku finally spoke slowly, "it's himself."

While that told Saguru nobody was after the blue eyed teen, it also caused a mix of guilt and worry to rise up. Obviously their friend wasn't doing as well as they'd been led to believe when they'd entered the house.

"Kudo-san," The half brit chose this words carefully. "Please, how bad is it?"

The writer laced his fingers together as he stared at them, as if judging how much to tell them. "The memories from the last time he was there overwhelmed him when he finally realized where he was." That much they had guessed. "I'll tell you now that Shinichi never fully recovered from what happened. Being back there…we're doing what we can."

Saguru felt both his friends stiffen beside him as the implications sunk in. The Kudo couple was afraid their son might be feeling suicidal again. The half brit put a hand on Kaito's shoulder. There was no doubt in his mind the magician was blaming himself as he'd been the one most adamant their blue eyed friend went with them.

"Kudo-san," Saguru had never wanted to know the truth so badly as right then. Maybe if he knew exactly what happened, he could find some way to help his friend. "What happened? Where did all those townspeople go? What caused Shinichi to react like he did? Please, if you tell us we might be able to help."

Yuusaku seemed to deflate slightly and let out a long sigh. Before he could say anything, a voice spoke up behind them, causing them all to jump slightly and turn their heads so fast Saguru was afraid they'd all get whiplash. "They're dead." Shinichi was standing there, Yukiko hovering worriedly behind him.

The blond's throat closed at the utterly blank look in their friend's eyes. There were bags under his eyes, and there seemed to be a sort of invisible wall around him. Shinichi's right hand came up to grip the doorway and the blond saw the bandages wrapped nearly around the hand, causing his stomach to flip. Had he…

Shaking his head slightly, he was about to ask if his friend was alright when the blue eyed teen continued. "They're dead. I killed them."

* * *

 **We're getting very close to the reveal of what happened! Let me know what you thought!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the big reveal! You all finally get to know what happened to Shinichi in the past! (I tried to leave out all the gorey details that my mind so enjoys coming up with. So you just kind of get a general overview of what happened instead)**

* * *

Yuusaku could easily tell his son was fighting sleep, with the way he was swaying slightly and how his eyes were sliding closed every few moments. It wasn't the first time the blue eyed teen had blamed himself for the deaths that happened that day, and no matter how many time he and Yukiko told him that wasn't true, Shinichi never believed them.

They'd tried everything to help their son get past the incident, but the writer knew some of their attempts had only made things worse. He'd been so relieved when Shinichi had met Kaito, Saguru, and Heiji. The three had been able to help their son more than anyone else. He'd give anything to take the pain in those blue eyes away, and to see his son happy and smiling once again.

Yukiko gently tugged and guided the sleepy teen back towards the stairs, waving off Kaito's help. Yuusaku sighed as his wife and son disappeared around the corner. "As I said before," He stated softly, "Shinichi never truly recovered from what happened. He still blames himself for it, and no matter what we say or do, he refuses to accept that it wasn't his fault."

The three were silent, still staring at where their friend had disappeared to, before Heiji stated slowly, "Ya might wanna start from da beginnin'."

Setting his elbows on his knees, the writer leaned forward and rested his forehead against his interlaced fingers. "It is true that everyone in that town died." He remembered clearly what happened that day. He doubted anyone could have predicted that outcome.

"Yukiko and I wanted to get Shinichi's mind off what had happened with his classmate back in elementary school. We'd gone up to the ski lodge above where the town used to be, however on the way back there was a small rockslide that blocked the road. We were forced to stay in that town until the road was cleared."

The writer smiled, but there was no humor to it. "Not even halfway through the first day there and Shinichi had sniffed out a mystery. There was a story going around that small children disappeared if they misbehaved. Some of the people in that town had even had their own children go missing.

"Shinichi seemed so happy to have a mystery to solve. We didn't see any harm in letting him have his fun, but we warned him not to pry too deep if it made someone uncomfortable or cause trouble. We were only supposed to be there for a few days. I never thought…"

Yuusaku paused and sighed. The three teens were quiet as they listened, not wanting to interrupt him. "Had I known what was happening, I never would have let him investigate."

As the writer fell back into his memories, Saguru gently prompted, "Did he find out who was behind it?"

"Yes and no." Taking a breath, the elder Kudo male continued. "Shinichi had his suspicions, but he didn't want to make any accusations without proof. Unfortunately, he got too close to the truth for comfort, and the culprit found him.

"It turned out to be the officer stationed in the town who had been taking the children. The man was a pedophile with a preference for children around the age of six. It was a small stroke of luck that Shinichi was older than that." Yuusaku watched the teens relax slightly, though it was easy to tell they were still on edge. "What Shinichi hadn't figured out or foreseen was that the head of the village was the one who got rid of the children."

The writer's face darkened. "That man was a monster. What he did to those children…What he made those townspeople _do_ …" Taking a deep breath, he grimaced slightly. "I'll spare you the details."

"As much as I hate to ask," The blond cut in, "I'm afraid it's the details we need. If we don't know _exactly_ what happened, we won't be able to help Shinichi."

"What did da guy do?" Heiji asked.

Yuusaku stared at the three teens before him, and closed his eyes. "He was a cannibal who believed consuming young children would grant him immortality." Opening his eyes again, he found the three teenagers pale – Kaito holding a hand over his mouth as though he were about to be sick. "He was also in charge of feeding the community every Sunday." When the implications sunk in, the last bits of color drained away from the three and Heiji slammed one fist onto the coffee table, his head bowed.

"He didn't."

"I'm afraid that's exactly what he did."

"Did you…" The blond seemed hesitant to ask.

Yuusaku shook his head. "None of us touched it. It was for the people who lived in that town only."

"What about Shinichi?" Kaito seemed to have regained control of his stomach. "What did they do to him?"

The writer shook his head. "We don't know exactly. We could never get Shinichi to talk to us – or anyone – about it." He closed his eyes again. "I have my suspicions, but I've never been able to prove them right." Looking back at the three before him, Yuusaku knew their guesses were similar to his. This time Kaito made his way to the bathroom, being unable to hold it down anymore. Saguru seemed as though he were barely keeping it down. Heiji was doing a better job at it, though the elder Kudo male hadn't ever seen anyone so angry as the Osakan was at that moment.

When Kaito returned, Yuusaku continued. "We don't know what happened, or how Shinichi got free, but before we could stop him, he told the townspeople everything. At first, nobody had believed him. They went to confront the two, only to find both dead and that Shinichi had been telling them the truth.

"Everyone spent the rest of that day in a horrified silence while they tried to figure out what to do. When we got up to leave the next morning, we found their bodies. They couldn't face the truth. Parents murdered their children and then killed themselves. There was nobody left. We searched every building. I had Yukiko take Shinichi home when the police arrived. We worked out the cover story and buried the townspeople. We were afraid if word got out there'd be a mass panic."

Yuusaku squeezed his hands and closed his eyes sadly. "Shinichi never stopped blaming himself for it. He was admitted to the hospital the first time because he wouldn't eat. It got to the point where even the smell of food made him nauseous. It was after he was released that I made a bad situation worse."

"What do you mean?" Saguru asked softly.

The writer took off his glasses and stared at the floor. "I thought the best was to show Shinichi that it wasn't his fault was to try and get him back into solving cases. I took him with me and talked the lead inspector into letting him look around. The wife had died and all signs pointed to the husband as the culprit."

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. "I was more concerned with making sure Shinichi was alright that I didn't pay much attention to the actual investigation. The police arrested the husband and we went home. I thought it had helped, since Shinichi had calmed down a little bit and even willingly ate little bit.

"A few days later the newspaper came and we learned they couldn't hold the husband due to lack of evidence, and he'd wound up killing his son before committing suicide."

After a few beats of silence, Heiji asked, "How did dat make things worse?"

Sighing, the writer answered, "Shinichi had found the suicide note the wife had left behind for her son. It talked about the abuse she and her son had suffered and how she hoped with his convection that her son would be safe. Rather than bring it forward, Shinichi didn't say anything. He was probably thinking about how the last time he told the truth, so many people had died." Yuusaku shook his head. "In the end it wound up being two more deaths Shinichi attributed to himself. It was after that things took a turn for the worse."

There was silence as the three teenagers digested what they'd been told. The writer watched their emotions play out and felt a little more at ease. These three really did care for his son.

* * *

 **There you go. That's what happened. Well, most of what happened. There's one more big part that only Shinichi knows. I'll probably get to that later.**

 **Don't forget to let me know what you thought!**


	8. Chapter 8

**So here's the next part. I should probably apologize now, at the start. So...I'm sorry.**

* * *

Kaito stared at his hands, the silence hanging thick between the three teenagers. Yuusaku had politely kicked them out, saying that Shinichi needed to rest for a few days before they could see him. The magician knew it was more of the elder Kudo males' way of giving them time to think through everything they'd been told.

"I suppose," Saguru stated softly, as though afraid to break the silence, "A lot of things make more sense."

"It don' explain everythin'," Heiji agreed just as softly, "But yeah."

Kaito pulled his knees up to his chest. "Poor Shin-chan." And they'd been the ones to drag him back to that hellhole. It must have been _horrible_. No wonder he reacted like he had. "What can we do?" There _had_ to be a way for them to make this right. He was scared to think what could happen if they didn't.

"I don't doubt his parents have tried everything before," The blond mused. "I'm honestly not sure what else we can try that they haven't already."

"Da only way ta get through ta him was if we could get inside his head ta know exactly _what_ he's upset 'bout."

"I doubt even if magic were _real_ it'd be able to allow us to do that." Saguru sighed tiredly, putting his hand over his eyes. The blond grimaced as the smell of breakfast wafted up from downstairs. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to eat much for a while."

"I'm never going to be able to look at meat the same way again," The magician agreed, his stomach twisting into knots at the thought of it. "Shinichi and his family being vegetarians suddenly makes a lot of sense."

"Ya thinkin' 'bout joinin' dem?" Heiji's teasing fell flat. None of them found anything remotely funny about the situation.

Kaito was sure that for at least the next few days he wouldn't be up to eating any sort of meat. He couldn't imagine going through what Shinichi did – and at such a young age. It was no wonder he acted the way he did. It _would_ be easier if they knew the specific part that was bothering their friend the most. But the only way to do that would be, as Heiji had said, to get inside his head.

The magician knew that magic existed in the world, but he also knew that it was dangerous to get involved. _Especially_ with the only magic user he knew. Who knew what she would ask for in exchange. Kaito wasn't even sure she _could_ help them, but with how scared the Kudo couple had been, and from the state Shinichi had been in, the younger Kuroba male figured that anything would be worth it if Akako really could get them inside their friends' head.

He didn't want to get Heiji or Saguru involved with her though. It was bad enough that her spells worked on the blond in class. He didn't need her getting her _claws_ into the Osakan as well. Another problem was how private a person Shinichi was. He probably wouldn't enjoy having them in his head. There was a chance them being there could even make things worse.

Would Kaito be willing to take that chance? Would he be willing to invade his friend's privacy in order to help? He could take Shinichi hating him if it meant the blue eyed teen could finally move past the incident and be a little happier.

"There might be a way." The two detectives looked at him when he interrupted their conversation.

"A way to what?" Saguru asked.

The magician stared at the blond. "To get inside Shinichi's head."

"Kuroba," Heiji stated with a frown, "Dat's not possible."

"Are you really going to argue with me if it will help Shinichi?" He stared hard at the Osakan who frowned deeper but kept quiet. "It might take me a few days, but I'll let you know if it can be done the second I find out." He took a deep breath, resolving himself to asking for _her_ help. "Just…trust me, okay?"

The two detectives nodded, and Kaito sighed. The sooner he asked, the better.

* * *

 _"Where are we?" Saguru asked, looking around them._

 _"If it worked," Kaito answered, "Shinichi's dream."_

 _Heiji shivered slightly. "More like nightmare." The magician agreed. They were in a forest at night – a perfect setting for a horror movie. Catching a small giggle, the three turned but didn't see anything. It made shivers run up Kaito's spine. If this was what Shinichi dreamt about, it was no wonder he'd rather stay awake._

 _"Over there." Saguru pointed towards his left, where a small white sphere was hovering. When they took a step towards it, it moved further away – as though it were telling them to follow. Wrapping his arms around himself, the indigo eyed teen reminded himself that this was for Shinichi and slowly took another few steps forward._

 _The white sphere led them through the trees until they reached a large clearing. The moon was just a sliver in the sky, but the amount of stars was breathtaking and helped illuminate what appeared to be a small town._

 _Feeling his stomach flip, Kaito didn't have to guess to figure out which town it was. He wasn't sure what they'd find and was a little reluctant to continue. Feeling two hands on his shoulders, he looked up at the detectives._

 _"Hattori and I will take a look around inside the buildings." The magician nodded in thanks and watched the two make their way towards the buildings. He slowly made his way towards the center of the town, praying that he wouldn't find any bodies. He avoided looking at any of the entrances, not wanting to see what they held._

 _When Kaito made it to the center, his stomach did another flip as the smell of what he assumed was stew assaulted his nose. He shook his head and put a hand over his mouth and nose to try and block it. If this really was the same town from back then, this stew had a **special ingredient** that the magician wanted _ nothing _to do with._

 _He turned when he heard footsteps and his shoulders drooped at the looks on their faces. The two shook their heads, not needed words to tell what they'd found. Saguru's face turned a tinge of green when he caught wind of the smell, but made no move to cover his nose like Kaito had._

 _"Come on," The half brit said, "Let's try and find Shinichi." Kaito nodded, wanting to get out of there._

 _Before they could take a step, the white sphere that had led them to the town reappeared and began moving. Kaito looked at Heiji and Saguru for a moment before following the sphere once more. Hopefully it would lead them to their friend. It took them back into the forest, along a well-worn path, and towards what appeared from the outside to be a large home._

 _Instead of leading them to the door, the sphere cut around the side and hovered above an open cellar door. Swallowing, Kaito hesitantly made his way down the steps, both hands covering his mouth and nose when the smell assaulted his senses. It was horrible. Eyes watering slightly, the magician resolutely continued forward. When he finally made it to the bottom, the three found themselves inside a spacious area._

 _Facing them was an entire wall of books – the indigo eyed teen was horrified to find most of them seemed to be recipe books – and to the left was a neat kitchen area. A pot on the stove was full off some dark, chunky liquid that Kaito was in no hurry to identify._

 _The right of the room held a multitude of sharp knives and other instruments that the magician was sure had to be torture devices. The middle of the room held a large table, covered in what Kaito assumed was dried blood. Sitting on top of that table and staring blankly at the ground was a much younger Shinichi. His glasses were cracked and lying beside him, and there were no earplugs in sight. The front of his shirt and lower half of his face were covered in_ something _. If Kaito had to guess, he'd say it was from whatever was bubbling away on the stove._

 _Swallowing down the vomit that was threatening to rise, the magician steeled his nerves and removed his hands before slowly stepping forward. "Shinichi?" He didn't get a reaction. "Shin-chan?" The indigo eyed teen made to move closer, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking questioningly at Saguru, he found the blonds attention directed towards the floor – the same place Shinichi had been staring at._

 _Hesitantly looking down, Kaito took an involuntary step back when his eyes landed on the body lying there. He assumed it was male, but the amount of bullet holes in the face and chest made it hard to tell. For a moment, everything was quiet._

 _Heiji was the one to break the silence. "Ya killed 'em." The boy on the table flinched slightly, hands shaking and losing their grip on the gun he held, but still didn't say anything. Kaito didn't know what to say or do in this situation. Was this what actually happened, or was Shinichi dreaming that he'd actually killed everyone?_

 _Saguru's voice was soft yet firm as he made his deduction about what had happened. "That man in the corner," Kaito hadn't realized there was another body nearby, but looking over he could distinctly make out the officer's uniform. "Was the officer who took the children and raped them." The boy stayed quiet, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "Judging from the bullet hole on the side of his head, I'd say suicide."_

 _"He didn' know 'bout any a dis when he handed da kids over, did he?" Heiji's question didn't get an answer, so the Osakan continued. "When he found out, he did da same as da villagers an killed himself. Probably blamed himself."_

 _"You were sitting next to him," The blond continued, "In that chair. Was he holding you down?" Saguru sighed when he still didn't get an answer. "You took his gun after he killed himself. And you killed this man."_

 _The small Shinichi flinched again and started shaking. He clenched and unclenched his hands, eyes never leaving the body before him. When he finally spoke, his voice was wavering and sounded so young. It made Kaito's heart ache. "He was eating them. Made others eat them. Made **me** eat them." His voice broke slightly. "Said if I knew…if I tried it…I would stay…not tell anyone. First shot killed him. Between the eyes." Tears were making their way down his face now. "Couldn't stop firing. Even after bullets ran out. Couldn't stop. Made me watch him kill Hana-chan. Made me…" His voice broke off and he dropped his head into his hands, sobbing slightly. "Promised I'd protect her. She was so scared."_

 _Kaito couldn't take it any longer and strode forward, ignoring the body he was forced to step on to reach his friend. The magician wrapped his arms around the sobbing child, squeezing him tight. Picking him up, Kaito carried him out of that horrible place and back into the night air._

 _Collapsing to his knees, he held Shinichi close and whispered, "You did the best you could Shin-chan. You were so young. You shouldn't have had to go through that."_

 _"That man could have killed you," Saguru added, one hand rubbing the child's back._

 _Shinichi shook his head, grabbing on tightly to the front of Kaito's shirt. "Maybe he should have! Maybe then everyone would still be alive!"_

 _"If he killed ya," Heiji stated seriously, pulling Shinichi out of Kaito's grasp and forcing him to look up, "A lot a other kids would a died."_

 _"The truth always finds a way to get out," Saguru added. "Even if you hadn't said anything, the villagers would have found out eventually. What happened wasn't your fault."_

 ** _"It's YOUR fault!"_** _Kaito's head jerked up and he wrapped his arms more protectively around Shinichi. The magician could only assume the mass of people surrounded them were the dead villagers._

 ** _"If you hadn't come none of this would have happened!"_**

 ** _"Our deaths are on YOUR hands!"_** _The child in Kaito's arms moved his hands to over his ears, shaking his head._

 ** _"You killed us!"_**

 ** _"You're the reason we're all DEAD!"_**

 _Feeling anger welling up at the accusations, the magician glared at the crowd. "Shut up! You all were the ones who killed_ yourselves _! Don't blame Shinichi because you couldn't face reality!"_

 _"Ya could have moved," Heiji said coldly, "Ya could have started new lives, but ya decided ta take yer own lives. Don't ya **ever** try ta blame him for dat." The two detectives stood in front of Kaito and Shinichi, arms folded and glares on their faces._

 ** _"That boy-"_**

 _"Did nothing wrong." Saguru cut the woman off before she could finish. "He was only trying to help you all." The crowd muttered to themselves but eventually dispersed, leaving the group of four alone once more. "Don't listen to them," the half brit said softly, kneeling down next to Kaito. "They were just angry and needed someone to take their anger out on. You didn't do anything wrong."_

 _"Even dat guy back in da cellar," Heiji added kindly, putting one hand on the child's head, "Ya shot 'im cause he scared ya and hurt ya. Nobody's gonna fault ya for that."_

 _The child didn't say anything, but gripped onto Kaito tighter, crying some more. The magician was sure Shinichi hadn't ever really cried over what had happened, so he just hugged the boy close. Maybe after this the blue eyed teen would finally be able to move on and realize that none of what happened was his fault._

* * *

Kaito groaned as light assaulted his eyes, squeezing them shut again. His head was pounding and everything felt like it was spinning. Taking a deep breath, he couldn't help a small smile. They'd finally gotten to the root of what was bothering Shinichi, and hopefully helped give him the push he needed to finally move past it.

He, Heiji, and Saguru had spent the night at the Kudo manor, as they'd needed to be nearby Shinichi in order for Akako's spell to be effective. Stepping outside the spare room he'd been given for the night, the magician took a quick peek inside the blue eyed teen's room and shook his head slightly at the sight of his friend curled up with his face buried in the pillow he was clinging to, tear tracks on his cheeks.

Carefully closing the door, he made his way downstairs with a yawn. He felt as though he hadn't gotten any sleep. Lifting a hand in greeting to the other four around the kitchen table, the indigo eyed teen took the empty seat next to Saguru.

"Did whatever you wanted to try work out?" Yukiko asked, setting a plate in front of Kaito.

"I think it did," The magician grinned.

"Kudo-san," Heiji broke in, eyeing the elder male, "Was der a Hana-chan in dat town?"

Kaito's stomach flipped and his appetite left him as he remembered what Shinichi had told them in the dream. The writer frowned, but it was Yukiko who answered. "She was the daughter of that officer, and the last girl to go missing."

"We never found her body," Yuusaku added solemnly. "Why?"

Saguru swallowed slightly and kept his eyes on his plate. "Kudo-kun – Shinichi – mentioned something about promising to protect her."

The magician lowered his head. "The bastard made him watch while he killed her." The words were hard for him to say. Just thinking about it made him cold. "She was what he…" Clenching his teen, he shook his head, unable to voice it. He didn't need to, as a quick glance up showed the couple understood exactly what he was trying to say. The former actress looked as though she were about to cry, while the writer's hands were clenched together, his knuckles turning white.

There was silence at the table, and nobody made move to eat the food in front of them. Yuusaku was the one to finally break the silence, attempting to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a change of subject. "It appears Kaito KID left a notice last night."

The magician blinked in surprise. He hadn't realized that his father had been planning another heist. "You didn't know?" Saguru asked, causing the indigo eyed teen to scowl at him.

"Why would I know? It's not like I know what KID is thinking." The half brit simply raised an eyebrow but didn't push the issue this time.

"KID better be careful," the blond stated instead, "There's been a lot more reports of gunfire at his heists."

Before Kaito could respond, shuffling footsteps sounded on the stairs, causing him to turn towards the entrance. He couldn't help but smile and bite down a laugh at the sleepy Shinichi that appeared. The blue eyes were drooping closed still, and his hair was sticking up in an extreme case of bedhead. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his right hand as he entered. To the magician, all Shinichi was missing was a blanket dragging behind him and oversized pajamas.

While his eyes were slightly red and still had bags under them, the air around him seemed almost lighter than the last time they'd seen him. The sleepy teen seemed confused when he saw Kaito, Heiji, and Saguru sitting at the table.

"Good morning Shin-chan!" The magician chirped, getting a flat stare in return. "Are you hungry?" Instead of answering, the blue eyed teen shuffled forward and reached out a hand towards Kaito, as though he didn't quite believe the magician was actually there. Just before his fingers made it to the indigo eyed teen's head, Shinichi's knees buckled. It was only Kaito's fast reflexes that kept his friend from smacking his head on the chair. "Shinichi?"

At first Kaito thought that the blue eyed teen had just falled asleep again, but his heart stopped when he placed Shinichi on the ground and found his eyes were still open, but vacant and glossy. "Shinichi?!" He didn't get a response, not even a twitch as he tried snapping his fingers in front of the teen's face. "What's going on?! Shinichi?! Talk to me! Shinichi?!"

* * *

 **Yes, I skipped over Kaito's meeting with Akoko. I've never written her character before, and I honestly have no idea how to.**

 **Yes, this is the end of Secrets. It's also my way to keeping you all hooked for the next (and hopefully LAST) installment of this series. And my way of introducing the arc that will _finally_ reveal the ghost stuff. I don't know when I will post that story, but I know I'm going to title it _The Other Side_ , so keep an eye out for it!**

 **Let me know what you thought!**


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